Download First Hour Exam, Fall, 2016

Geology 141(A)
Autumn, 2016
Name
3 October, 2016
GE141(A): Earth and Environment
First Hour
Examination
INSTRUCTIONS :
PLEASE read the instructions and questions
CAREFULLY and completely. If you do not understand a question as it
appears on the exam, PLEASE ASK FOR CLARIFICATION!! It is to
YOUR benefit to do so. This examination is worth 125 points, or 12.5% of
your overall semester grade. Exams will be graded as quickly as possible;
your individual point total will be entered on the last page to ensure that only
you know how well you did on the exam, unless you choose to divulge that
information to others.
"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did
nothing because he could do only a little. All that is
necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do
nothing." --- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
Geology 141(A): Fall, 2016
First Hour Examination
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Geology 141(A): Fall, 2016
First Hour Examination
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Section I: Multiple-choice.
Please read each question and possible answer
carefully, and circle the letter of the correct or best response to each question. Do
NOT under any circumstances circle the entire response or write the answer in the margin! Doing
so suggests to me that you are attempting to assist someone else on the exam, which is
definitely a bad idea! Each question here is worth 4 points; the section as a whole is
worth 80 points of the 125 for the exam.
1. The incredible abundance of iron on Earth, and the existence here of many, many
elements that are above it in the Periodic Table of the Elements (the transferric
elements) are evidence for
a. the Big Bang, which created them from hydrogen and helium.
b. our solar system being formed from the debris of a previous star that exploded.
c. plate tectonics having been active early in Earth history.
d. the Earth having come into existence only shortly after the Big Bang.
2. The study of meteorites is important in geology because
a. they represent solid fragments of material formed early in the history of our Solar
System.
b. they are fragments of earlier solar systems, much older than the Earth, that have
traveled through countless light-years of space to land on Earth.
c. they help give us insight into the inner composition of the Earth itself.
d. all of the above
e. only (a) and (c) above.
f. none of the above
3. The Earth, and our Solar System, are believed by scientists to be about how old?
a. 13.5-14.0 billion years ago
c. 4.6-4.7 billion years ago
b. 13.5-14.0 million years ago
d. 4.6-4.7 million years ago
4. The most abundant two elements in the Earth's crust, by weight, are
a. iron and aluminum
c. oxygen and silicon
b. iron and magnesium
d. iron and oxygen
5. The mineral group that comprises some 95% of the Earth's crust is the
a. native elements
d. silicates
b. oxides and hydroxides
e. sulfates
c. sulfides
f. carbonates
6. The only mineral group other than that in #5, that is important more for its bulk in
the crust (~3%) than for its economic value, is the
a. native elements
d. silicates
b. oxides and hydroxides
e. sulfates
c. sulfides
f. carbonates
7. Both diamond (the hardest substance known) and graphite (the softest mineral known)
are pure elemental carbon. The only difference between them is that
a. diamond dates from the earliest Earth, whereas it weathers (breaks down) to graphite
at the Earth's surface.
b. diamond is naturally occurring and rare, whereas graphite is synthetic and common.
c. they have different crystal structures.
d. diamond is crystalline, but graphite is not.
8. The mineral that makes up most limestone and marble is
a. quartz
c. feldspar
b. calcite
d. gypsum
Geology 141(A): Fall, 2016
First Hour Examination
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9. Which of the following is not a valid type of tectonic plate boundary?
a. a transform boundary
c. a convergent boundary
b. a shoreline boundary
d. a divergent boundary
10. The upper mantle is believed to be composed mostly of
a. olivine and pyroxene
c. clays and other sheet silicates
b. iron and magnesium
d. carbonates and oxides
11. The core of the Earth is believed to be composed of
a. an olivine outer core, and a pyroxene inner core.
b. a molten iron outer core, and a solid iron inner core.
c. a silicate-based inner core and an outer core of oxides and carbonates.
d. an inner core of silicon and an outer core of oxygen.
12. All rocks are classified into three major groups based on
a. their silica content
c. their relative color
b. their mode of origin
d. their temperature at formation
13. The three major classification groups for rocks include all of the following except
a. igneous rocks
c. primatonic rocks
b. sedimentary rocks
d. metamorphic rocks
14. Magma is
a. the semi-plastic material in the Earth's aesthenosphere.
b. the same thing as lava – molten rock flowing across the Earth's surface.
c. molten rock beneath the Earth's surface.
d. a rock type formed from molten rock that crystallizes underground.
15. Which is the correct rock-type pair for the plutonic-volcanic rocks that would be formed
from a magma with >65% SiO2 content?
a. gabbro-basalt
c. gabbro-diorite
b. granite-rhyolite
d. granite-andesite
16. An area of the modern coast of the U.S.A. where plate subduction is currently taking
place is
a. the southern California coast
d. from Cape Cod north to the Gulf of Maine
b. the Oregon-Washington coast
e. the eastern Florida coast
c. the Texas-Louisiana coast
f. from New Jersey to Georgia
17. Typical island-arc systems include all of the following island groups except
a. the Kuril Islands
c. the Hawaiian Islands
b. the Japanese Islands
d. the Antilles of the Caribbean
18. The Andes Mountains of South America owe their origin to
a. a continent-continent collision hundreds of millions of years ago.
b. part of the Mid-Oceanic Rise and Ridge System (MORRS) that occurs on land.
c. oceanic plate subduction beneath the margin of the continent.
d. upward pressure from hundreds of mantle plumes, which also produce the volcanoes.
19. The Ural Mountains of western Russia were created by
a. a continent-continent collision hundreds of millions of years ago.
b. part of the Mid-Oceanic Rise and Ridge System (MORRS) that occurs on land.
c. oceanic plate subduction beneath the margin of the continent.
d. upward pressure from hundreds of mantle plumes, which also produce volcanoes.
20. Bowen's Reaction Series is a
a. ranking of the common rock-forming silicate minerals by their melting points
b. complex diagram showing which minerals combine to form different rocks.
c. diagram showing how silicate minerals will react with non-silicate minerals.
d. diagram of how different rocks are transformed from one type into another, also
known as the rock cycle.
Geology 141(A): Fall, 2016
First Hour Examination
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Section II: Please respond to each question in the most appropriate fashion. Please make
your responses concise and to the point, but thorough; use sketch diagrams any place
you believe that they may help explain your response. There should be ample space
provided for an adequate response to each question; PLEASE RESTRICT YOUR
RESPONSES TO THE SPACE PROVIDED; materials outside the space allotted will
not be read. PLEASE ALSO try to write legibly; I CANNOT give any credit for
responses I can't read! The number of points for each question is indicated in
parentheses after the question; there are 35 points possible for this entire section.
☛ (And PLEASE remember as well that, as promised on the syllabus,
I WILL deduct a point
each time I see "volcanoe" or "techtonic" in any response!)
21. Please identify three of the independent lines of evidence, other than the apparent fit of
continental margins, that support the combined theories of continental drift and plate
tectonics. Avoid circular reasoning (don't use plate tectonics as evidence for
plate tectonics!), and be sure to indicate how each line of evidence supports
these concepts! (10 points: 4-3-3)
(1)
(2)
(3)
Geology 141(A): Fall, 2016
First Hour Examination
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22. The term that is used to refer to the solid, upper part of the Earth that makes up the
rigid tectonic plates is the
This in turn is moved about over the relatively plastic, slowly flowing, soft underlying
layer, which is called the
(5 pts. – 3-2)
23. To be a mineral, a substance must be or have:
a.
b.
c.
d.
(5 pts.–2-1-1-1)
24. Minerals are classified into major groups based on their
The various groups are classified into subgroups based on their
.
(5 pts. – 3-2)
.
Section III: Geography. On the maps on the following page (the maps are printed backto-back), please locate precisely each of the following localities or features. FOR
SMALL FEATURES OR LOCALITIES, please use a sharp arrow drawn from your label
to the feature, so there can be no doubt about what you are labeling. PLEASE
remember that IT IS TO YOUR BENEFIT that your label is clear enough that there is
NO question as to your meaning or intent! (10 points, 1 point each)
And YES, ☛ all labels must be correctly spelled for credit!
[ Since all you have to do is copy the name from the list below! ]
On the map of the U.S. & Canada:
On the map of the world:
Quebec
Turkey
Lake Superior
Java
North Carolina
Andes Mountains
Louisiana
Kamchatka
Cascade Range
China
Grade on exam: __________________ out of 125 possible*.
* If this is below 90, please see me within the next week !!!
PLEASE NOTE: After exams are graded, I will return your exam ONLY to you. It will not
be released to friends, roommates, your lab partner, or anyone else. This is to ensure
YOUR security and confidentiality.
Geology 141(A): Fall, 2016
First Hour Examination
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Geology 141(A): Fall, 2016
First Hour Examination
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